OK--Got the flights--now comes the real hard part.
Our trip will end with 4 or 5 days in Bellagio. My first question is--Our flight home will leave Milan at 11:00 am. How should we arrange to get to the airport (by 9:00 am)? Is it possible to ferry and train over there at that time of day?( and what kinds of hassels are involved)? Or can we hire a driver, and what would approximate cost be. And how early would we have to leave the hotel? Or should we get ourselves over to Milan the night before and stay at or near the airport? Havent quite decided on the hotel yet either. After looking at all of your reccomendations I think it's between The Hotel Florence, Belvedere, Dulac. I also found some good rates on The Excelsior Splendide, and The Nouvo Hotel Metropole, but havent found too much on this web site on those two. Are they all in the same general area?
Sorry for so many questions at once (I have a million of them!)
Thanks for any info.

I would stay with your first 3 hotel choices. The other 2 are very close but not as nice. I would spend the last nite closer to Malpensa.

I totally agree with Bob in both his hotel comments and his recommendation for where to stay the night before your flight.
No matter how you'd do it from Bellagio, you'd have to get up very early....and then you'd have the worry about traffic tieups!

If you were trying to get to Milan by rail you'd have to first take a ferry over to Varenna and then the train which takes 1 hr 20 minutes to Milan. First ferry would be around 7 in the morning and you might just make the train.

I think you'd be better off staying closer to the airport your last night.

Here's a strong recommendation in favor of the Hotel Florence. We stayed four nights last September in a lakefront room - excellent service in a family atmosphere, terrific lakeside lunches, all in all a great experience. You can't go wrong here.

Thanks everybody! I think we'll stay nearer to the airport on the last night.Any suggestions for a hotel thats convienient to airport there?
And I will shorten my list back to the first three choices in Bellagio.

FWIW, there is direct bus service from Como to Malpensa although I don't know the schedules.

Having just been in Como, there are only three buses from Como to Malpensa a day: 7AM,12noon, and 5PM. Train service to Malpensa flows well,with one train change at a station that has an elevator for easy luggage transfer from one track to another. From the ComoNord station may want to take the 7:34 train arriving at the airport at 9AM. The trains seems to run every 15-30 minutes Think about spending your last night in Como! Find a hotel near the ferry and then the following morning, the train station is a hop, skip, and a jump minute from the ferry. Have a wonderful time!